Milestones
by Libek
Summary: Celebrations, of the sort they most enjoy.


Adrenaline.

It was something they each craved, she for her reasons and he for his. It was something they had never felt the need to talk about, simply accepting the truth of the matter: that he would always be up for a good, hard fight and that she would always be there right beside him, if not actually there before him.

And that was why she thought nothing of it when he rolled over, comfortably, and suggested, "Tomorrow. Weccea. I heard there's a real nasty one there."

It never would have occurred to her that it could have been relevant.

After all, when was the last time that day had meant anything special? When was the last time she had even really noticed the day before it was over?

That was why Judith only smiled at his suggestion, her eyes lidding. That was why she only said, "Sounds like fun."

He matched her smile and then he was kissing her, leisurely the way his kisses sometimes were, and she returned it, sliding her hands easily down over his chest and enjoying the firm musculature of his body the way she sometimes did. There were no more words that night, but they didn't need them. The promise of tomorrow lingered, heavy in the air between them, and she enjoyed that, too.

She also thought nothing of spending the night with him, but she had no excuse for that.

Ba'ul was happy to make the journey to Weccea in the morning - happier than usual, although that was another thing she thought very little of at the time. She knew her friend didn't share her love of battle, but she also knew that he shared _in_ her love when she felt it. Why shouldn't he have been happy to take them there, when she was so looking forward to the creature Yuri had promised?

So she stroked his flank in fond farewell, and watched him lift back up into the sky with a silent promise: he would go take a nap on the warm Desier peaks, carefully nowhere near Temza, and when she called he would come for them.

That was their ritual whenever they parted; she had said the same silent words to him more times than she could count. But as she turned back to Yuri, she was slightly surprised to find his eyes on the sky, watching Ba'ul just as she had.

In all the time they had spent together, he had never asked what seemed the obvious question. _What's it like?_

Rita had asked her, albeit with her eyes firmly pointed in another direction and a tiny scowl on her lips. Estelle had asked her, shyly but deeply curious, as she was about every question she had ever asked. Karol had asked her, head tilting thoughtfully and still thinking of Entelexia as unusual monsters. Even Raven had asked her, although his question had been another one of his amusing leering implications.

But Yuri, who saw Ba'ul more than any of them, never had.

This time as no exception. When he finally lowered his eyes, they met hers and he flashed a toothy smile. "Ready?" he asked.

She smiled back at him. "Oh," she said, "I think I might be."

And they turned away from the cliff face, heading deeper into the strange, dangerous continent of Weccea.

The creature towered over them, its jet-black body gleaming in the early morning light, spreading its leathery wings. It lowered its head to charge, pointing its deep red horns right at them, and Judith found herself thinking: _This might be fun._

Beside her, Yuri was sizing their quarry up. He had been looking forward to this as much as she had, she knew, but he always took a moment at the beginning of any fight to look his enemy over. He could do it very quickly, so that it sometimes seemed like he had as little hesitation as she did, but Judith still saw the analysis in his eyes. It would be another second, maybe two, before that wild smirk caught his lips and he threw himself into the battle wholeheartedly.

She didn't wait for it, launching herself up off the ground and aiming for the creature's head with her spear.

"Judy!"

The sound of his voice made her smile. There was laughter in it, lurking just beneath what might - from another man - have been concern. She twisted in midair so that she could see him as she landed, grazing the creature's long neck with her weapon and dodging backwards as it went for her with its blood-stained beak.

She was less than prepared for it to open its break and spew a torrent of fire at her face, singing a few strands of hair as she twisted to avoid it.

In a second, Yuri was beside her, his own sword connecting solidly with the creature's thick hide. He was laughing in earnest even as he said, breathy, "You're crazy. You know that?"

She swept low, kicking at the creature's feet, and returned playfully, "Am I? I thought it was only that I like surprises."

"Surprises - are great," he agreed, ducking, and she followed his lead instantly. The creature's tail soared over their heads with enough force to knock a man's head clean off his shoulders. "Staying alive's even better."

While they waited for the tail to slow, he lifted his blade and plunged it deep into the earth beneath their feet. She felt the mana ripple over her skin, clean and clear and so different from the arid heat of aer. The arte invigorated her, healing a few scrapes she hadn't even noticed, and she raised her eyebrows at him, amused.

"I think I can handle myself," she told him.

"Oh," he replied, his eyes brightening as they met hers, "I _know_ you can."

No hesitation, no guilty flush; none of the usual ways men reacted to statements like those. But then, why should she have expected any different? Still, for some unaccountable reason, she was pleased.

And then his attention was on the creature again, pulling his blade up so that he could stab into its exposed belly, and Judith had other things to think about. The scream was high-pitched, reverberating, and the retaliation was more fire.

Yuri fell back and she leapt up again, aiming this time for the small of its back and gracefully evading the fire. Her spear found its mark, but the thick hide here prevented it from doing much damage, and then she was leaping back once more to avoid its vengeful tail.

It was _fast_. And strong, too. She suspected that even Yuri's well-placed sword strike hadn't done much damage, and her own blow had been negligible.

They were probably in for a long, hard fight.

She caught his eye, and knew he thought the same thing.

A smile spread from her face to his, and this time he was right beside her when she charged back into the fray.

It took more than an hour. By the end of it, she was winded and his skin shone with sweat in the full morning light. He had used both of his Mystic Artes; she had used one of hers. And even after all of that, they hadn't quite managed to bring the creature down. After all of that, they had been forced to retreat.

Judith had never been less disappointed to lose a fight.

She was exhausted, but also lit up. The color of the sky seemed brighter, the dusty air almost sweet as she breathed it in. And when she looked at him, resting against a large rocky outcropping and grinning even as he caught his breath, the muscle exposed by his open shirt, his hair tousled by the wind...

...she thought he was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen.

His eyes opened after a beat, as if he could feel hers on his body, and they were a deep, dark shade of gray, molten with their exertions and something else she couldn't quite name.

Judith blinked and then smiled at him, a perfectly ordinary smile that was inviting or challenging or both, and he levered himself up off the rock, crossing the space between them to pull her body close to his.

"That was - so incredible," he murmured thickly as he kissed her, his own utter lack of disappointment so clear in his voice, in the hands that caressed her.

She had never met anyone quite like him before, and she surged in his arms, pushing him back up against the stone and slipping her hands confidently beneath his wide belt.

Clothes were shed with complete abandon. His callused hands were all over her, and hers were all over him. They were both bruised. They were probably both bleeding. But this time, Yuri made no attempt to reach for his sword. The ache, the sting, as they came together, just made the rush last that much longer.

Everything felt so _good_ in that moment, better than any other time, and when it was over she curled into his chest and was only dimly aware of his arm around her.

She would have fallen asleep just like that, without a second thought, if he hadn't brought his lips to her ear and said the words, his voice soft with sleep.

"Happy birthday, Judy."

Her eyes opened again, slowly, and after a long moment she glanced up at him - but she had taken too long and he was asleep now, his breathing even and warm as it wafted over her skin.

The first thought she had, nonsensical though it was, was _Ba'ul_. But that couldn't have been right. Even if Ba'ul had remembered her birthday - and since she had stopped caring years ago, why would he have? - he couldn't have told Yuri the date. No, there must have been... another Krityan involved, at least. Someone who could understand Ba'ul's answer, even if he had had one to give. Which meant Yuri had gone to Myorzo, which was...

...an awful lot of trouble for him to have gone to.

Judith settled back from him, putting an inch or two of space between their bodies so that she could gaze up at his face comfortably, and stayed awake for a while longer, just watching him. When she finally closed her eyes, giving into the exhaustion and contentment and the now-midday sun, she found herself wondering dimly when his next birthday was.

And that was when she should have known she was in trouble.


End file.
